Volodymyr Zelensky admits Ukraine 'can’t win' against Russia without US support

WASHINGTON, DC: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted that Ukraine 'can’t win' its war against Russia without the United States' support.

In a candid moment on Monday, December 29, Zelensky discussed the importance of American military weapons to defend his country’s airspace and fight the Russians on the battlefield.

Zelensky says 'we can’t defend the sky' without US support

During a conversation with Fox News’ Bret Baier on 'Special Report', Volodymyr Zelensky said, "If we are speaking [about], can we win without American support, no."

"Without American support, we can’t defend the sky. Even now, it’s very difficult. American support with missiles for air defense is really helpful and strong. In any case, Russia uses hundreds, you see, hundreds and thousands of drones and missiles," he added, saying, "Of course, we can’t win."

Though President Donald Trump has strongly opposed the bipartisan military aid packages his predecessor approved for Ukraine, his administration has sold critical firepower to Kyiv. 

Moreover, the US has provided Ukraine with major intelligence support and implemented sanctions against Russia. The Ukrainian President stressed that Russia isn’t actually winning the war despite controlling nearly a fifth of his country now and slowly making gains on the battlefield.

"When Russia is occupying about 3,000 [square] kilometers per year these last two years, it’s understandable that it looks that we are not winning. It’s not [a] real fact," Zelensky said. 

He added, "The fact [is that] the price of these 3,000 kilometers for this year — the price was 400,000 people, Russian soldiers. Now Russia loses 41,000 soldiers killed per month."

Meanwhile, Zelensky, who met with Trump in Mar-a-Lago to iron out details of Ukraine’s 20-point peace plan, disputed the President's assessment that Vladimir Putin wants peace and ultimately for Ukraine to recover and thrive.

Zelensky says his relationship with Trump has 'evolved'

Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted that his relationship with President Trump has evolved over time. During the Fox News interview, Bret Baier asked whether Zelensky tried to persuade Trump about his plan for peace, or whether Trump tried to persuade him.

"Who can convince him? We can have only dialogue. And I think this is good that we had very open dialogue and we know each other," Zelensky replied.

Later in the interview, Baier noted that their relationship had changed over time, "I mean, your relationship has evolved", and Zelensky agreed, saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

The Ukrainian President shared in an X post, "I thank President Trump @POTUS and his team for the negotiations. I thank the United States for its support. Together, we must – and can – implement our vision for the sequencing of steps toward peace."

In the same interview, he said he does not trust Russian President Putin and believes Putin does not want Ukraine to succeed.